Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Review: Asus Eee PC 4G — Wee PC Is Super Sweet

At two pounds flat, the Asus Eee PC is the smallest ultra-cheap PC on the market, yet it's arguably the most capable of the bunch. Design-wise, the Eee draws on Asus's long history of notebook design: It's altogether a solid and streamlined machine. People who don't see the display might assume you paid thousands for it. This ain't no Vista laptop, though: The Eee runs Xandros Linux and is simplified to the point of obviousness. Jumbo icons let you launch a web browser, Skype, office apps, and the like, all separated by tabs to let you know if it's "Work," "Play," "Internet," and so on. Linux n00bs won't have any trouble setting up wireless, managing files, and even snapping pics on the integrated webcam. On the downside, the Eee's diminutive size mostly relegates it to novelty status instead of business tool. The keyboard is too small for touch typing, and the screen is just too tiny to fit much information on at once. —Christopher Null

WIRED Possibly the best ultraportable laptop you can buy, and for a mere $400. Available in multiple colors. Serious hackers can go nuts and add extra apps and even install Windows or other Linux distributions. 4GB solid-state drive means no crashes when you drop it.

TIRED Two hours and 20 minutes of asus eeepc battery life disappoints considering the slimmed-down specs. Only 1.3GB free storage space available straight out of the box. Stiff (and tiny) mouse buttons.